Ugh . . . where to begin!?!?!?! For those of you in the know, the first installment of the Black in America documentary overwhelmed us with a wealth of information. Black Women and Family was an incredibly eye-opening journalistic experience. Soledad O’Brien did the footwork and compiled a two-hour long “wrap-up” of what it means to be Black in America. For those of you that did your Life or Something Like It . . . homework and watched this documentary you know that there was so much information covered that there is no way for me to make this a succinct summary of sorts. So, I decided to list the segments covered and have you pick one, two, or a few and elaborate on your views of the issues. Oh and you don’t have to be black to voice your views, concerns, or feelings about what was discussed. I actually believe that that would make for added dimension in today’s chop-up. But if it’s just us, let’s make it good. Give it to me. I want to hear it! All of it! EVERYONE should have something to say today. Talk to me. You can do me one better and cut and paste this into emails and forward it to your friends and co-workers. Email me their responses. The series will only impact us if we work it – the right way. Acknowledgement equals progress and we’ll only progress if we take hold of what’s going on with and within us as a culture. Let’s get it!
Segments covered:
Interracial Intimacies – “You said you got a white cousin?” The Rand Clan (Segment enlightened us on the prominence of slave owners taking advantage of female slaves; we’re not 100 proof)
Drop out rates among African Americans – 50% of African American’s will receive a high school diploma
Exploited Education – Should incentives be offered to children for them to have a desire to learn or does this teach them to work for success?
Poverty’s impact on Education
Healthcare and African Americans in America
Fatherless homes – The single Black mother
The Black Single and Successful Women – Do we get married anymore, is success all we need to keep us “satisfied” or are we being forced to date outside of our race to meet compatible men?
Racial Boundaries Exposed – Can we raise our interracial children properly while teaching them to appreciate both (or all) of the races that make them human or are they destined for a life fueled by hate and confusion?
AIDS and its effect on African American Women (Blacks account for nearly 50% of the AIDS cases in America and among women diagnosed with the disease in this country, 2/3 are African American)
Black on Black Crime – Our inappropriate comfort level with the violent deaths of Black men in America
1 comment:
Exploited Education – Should incentives be offered to children for them to have a desire to learn or does this teach them to work for success? Well my husband and I said that we didn't get paid to bring home good grades and we are not paying our children to bring home good grades, ABSOLUTELY NOT! However, if the school system wants to give and incentive for my child passing with flying colors than that's fine, my only issue with that is making sure that my child has attained the information and is not just knowing answers on a test, but we wouldn't have a problem with that at all. The money would be given for their education and that's what you are using it for education period no games, i.e., PlayStation, XBOX, Wii, Education............period! "aaaaaah I don't want to hear it D.J. EDUCATION........PERIOD!" Oh sorry I was practicing for when my son gets here.
Interracial Intimacies – "You said you got a white cousin?" The Rand Clan (Segment enlightened us on the prominence of slave owners taking advantage of female slaves; we're not 100 proof).....Yo, all I got to say is this the Rand clan got me hyped not to find out if I have white relatives, but to let somebody white know that hmmmmmmmmmm masah was my grandpappy too...........now! Nah, for real, as black as the Aiken clan is I wouldn't doubt that we had some of Masah in our blood too. This is why I want to have a family reunion not just to see the folk we know but to find who we don't know. Whether black or white, but I'd really like to find out the white. Slave owners, didn't just rape pretty black girls, the ones the moved into the house, they loved! I want to start researching that stuff right now, that really got me to thinking, we all got some of Masah in us. I loved how the woman's husband kept saying "Hey cuz, good to meet you cuz." I thought that was to cute.
AIDS and its effect on African American Women (Blacks account for nearly 50% of the AIDS cases in America and among women diagnosed with the disease in this country, 2/3 are African American)......This bothered me because are we that naive, are we that sexed up and hungry for sex, are we that bad off with drugs, that we can't say NO. You know that a dude is sleeping with other women and doing his thing with them, or used to or whatever.............YO stop letting him come into you, David and I said the same thing...........CONDOMS BREAK all the time, stop putting your trust in condoms they are not 100% proof that you won't get AIDS, go get some help with drugs, well let me say the drug thing starts in the government, clean house in there and we wouldn't be so apt to shoot up, they put it on the corners this country is in shambles. Even though Solidad did her thing, there are still things that they are not going to bring out, so much information last night was surfaced, and we will never be healed or get to the truth unless we are HONEST they would never put out the truth-truth.
Poverty's impact on Education
If a child is poor he is not going to want to study, or learn. How about this feed me, my pastor always says feed the natural man and then tell me about Jesus or J-Czee (LOL) well I say feed a child first and then give him some brain food. Why are these families not being fed, not having electricity, being put out of their homes, it's not natural to see all of the goings on in America, it's not natural to see a father who's doing his best is being thrown out, has to take lesser paying jobs because his son suffers from chronic asthma, and on top of that you are putting me out, that should be against the law, you put me in low income housing and then throw me out with two children, that is NOT RIGHT at all. That hurt me to my heart!
Drop out rates among African Americans – 50% of African American's will receive a high school diploma......... I just read this morning in the word of God spanking a child is ok, even a good woopen is even better (Msg) in my own words beat their asses not all the time, but you have to let your children know who is in charge, all of these guys and girls having children that they are only maybe a good 15 years older than, trying to be their friends and not their parents, they are unfit and it's embarrassing. You mean to tell me that it's more important for your child to have on the latest gear instead of book smarts, my children will always look good, but I'd be damned if they are going to walk around here with their pants below their waiste, knowing the latest hip-hop and not knowing or having any book smarts, and then tell me in my house "I'm dropping out" like hell you are. You are going to study until you get into that thick skull. Parents are not old school anymore, everybody is so modern, a good ass woopen is not going to kill them...........if that were the case I would be dead. Now some of the beatings I got I wouldn't do to my children, but I swear they helped me become and it let me know who was boss, and to this day, I have that same honor and reverance for my parents, because they raised me right...................by sparing the rod! Trust and believe my kids are going to be chastened, and they are going to church..............yeah I said it! ERrrrrr Sunday, I had to do it and so do they. Parents don't do that anymore!
~Submitted by RockWill
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